# What we talk about when we talk about release

Source: https://open.substack.com/pub/metalabel/p/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about?r=16nwyb
Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/What-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-release?index=0x66eb23c159a57803fbb35806617cd4464558be8839eea5b5c12587ec32e682a61671b058
Submitted by misha on 2024-09-18 UTC, 3 upvotes, 0 comments

## Summary

Metalabel argues that creative people should "release" their work rather than simply posting it, because a release places a piece within an artist's canon and context and invites audiences to engage, purchase or attend. Tyler the Creator is cited as saying that releasing honors the time and effort behind creative work, and the post says too many people treat their output like fast fashion. Metalabel says it will introduce a new universe for creators to release work in October, and it highlights The Creative Independent's reissue of "On Dealing With Creative Anxiety," a 52-page zine with 50 physical copies plus an open digital edition.

## Article

This year you’ve heard us repeatedly extoll the importance of releasing our work as artists and creative people. What do we mean when we say release?

As Tyler the Creator told us this summer, when we put out creative work we’re not promoting ourselves, we’re honoring the time and effort that went into making it. Too many people treat their creative output like fast fashion (h/t Nick Susi). We owe it more.

A release is something you’re saying belongs in your canon. Part of your legacy. It’s not some throwaway thing. This one counts. Taxonomies and catalog numbers help establish this deeper universe.

Content is king and context is queen. Understanding where a work comes from and what universe it exists within is what makes something special and valuable. Releasing establishes the context that lets the work be properly seen.

A release is not meant to be passive. It invites an audience to engage, watch, purchase, attend, or exchange. Releases are established ways for creative people to monetize their work and be rewarded for what they do.

Posting is how creative people have shared work for the past decade. Releasing much more enthusiastically celebrates creative work.

We’re not going to make a more enriching, empowering, and uplifting creative ecosystem by posting more. We’ll make it, together, by re-discovering what it means to release.

In October, Metalabel will introduce a new universe for all creative people to release. If you’re interested in being a part of it, tell us about what you’re working on here.

In its second release with Metalabel, the incredible Creative Independent returns to reissue “On Dealing With Creative Anxiety,” a zine of insights by everyone from actress Audrey Plaza to writer Mike Rugnetta to musician Nikki Sixx on how to channel your creative concerns.

All 52 pages are packed with insights and advice from other artists on how to handle the journey. Just 50 physical copies are being reissued, along with an open digital edition.

Collect The Creative Independent

As culture-heads, we appreciate the deep, the obsessive, and the unusual. Which are just three of the many reasons we connect with artist Lizzie Klein’s singular collection “Virtual Memorials,” which collects and physically prints screenshots of memorials left for real people in virtual spaces. Edition of just 20. Not many remain.

Collect Virtual Memorials

The second Metalabel release from a Swedish musician who releases mesmerizing dreamscapes of .WAV files. Meditative. Hypnotic. Suspenseful. Recommended.

Collect "As Long As"

On TikTok our product designer Erin Rimmer has been making daily videos about artists on Metalabel. Including this one about the iconic “Deep Fried Half Cat” release:

Peace and love, Metalabel